The Elephant in the Universe. 100 Years in Search of Dark Matter

For nearly 100 years, scientists have been gradually coming to the idea that the substance from which all matter in the Universe is woven—atoms, planets, galaxies, nebulae, and even ourselves—is insignificant from a cosmic point of view. The nature of the main part of matter is expected to consist of a mysterious substance that challenges our imagination. Scientists have named it dark matter.

Dark matter is not a multitude of dim stars or an all-pervasive dark intergalactic gas; it does not consist of black holes and ordinary atoms, but like an invisible glue, it binds the Universe together and serves as its driving force. 

"The Elephant in the Universe" is a gripping thriller that tells how scientists—both leading researchers and rebels against science—have fought over dark matter and tried to detect it. Goverd Schilling explains complex astrophysical theories such as ΛCDM and MOND in an accessible way, analyzes WIMP and MACHO—candidates for dark matter—and discusses the latest technologies and experiments that are moving us towards understanding what this mysterious substance actually is.